”Oh, Allah, forgive me my fault, my ignorance, my lack of understanding, and my concerns. And you are better aware of my affairs than myself. Grant me forgiveness of the faults which I committed seriously or otherwise, inadvertently or deliberately, all these feelings that are in me. Oh, Allah, grant me forgiveness from the faults which I did in haste or I deferred, which I committed in privacy or in public. You are better aware of them than myself. You are the first and the last and you have power over all things.”
Welcome back. Today’s prayer is about forgiveness. All of us, as human beings, make mistakes, and these mistakes can be a doorway, a doorway of return. In these mistakes, we have an opportunity to take off what are known as the clothes of our mistake and to put on our Holy clothes.
The story that I have for you today is a true story. It’s about a Sufi scholar who, during his old age, he was traveling, and he stopped by a town. And after prayers, he wanted us to stay for the night in the mosque, because he didn’t know anybody in the town. He was a very humble man. So he didn’t introduce himself to anyone thinking that if he did, then many, many people would welcome him, and he didn’t want to get into that kind of situation.
So he went to the mosque and the caretaker of the mosque didn’t recognize him and refused to let him stay in the mosque. As this Imam was quite old, the caretaker actually had to drag him out of the mosque, and on seeing him being dragged out of the mosque, a baker from a nearby place felt pity for this man and offered him to be his host for the night. Well, during his stay with the baker, this Imam observed that the baker would constantly recite a prayer seeking forgiveness from God. Well, Imam Ahmad asked the baker if this constant practice
of this prayer of forgiveness had any effect on him, and the baker responded by telling the Imam that God, Allah, had accepted all of his prayers, except one. And when he asked the baker what was this prayer that wasn’t accepted, the baker replied that he asked God to provide him with the privilege of meeting the famous scholar, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said that Allah not only istened to this man’s prayer, but dragged him into this baker’s doorstep.
This story is a reminder of the power of seeking forgiveness frequently. Our prophet, [Alayhi Salaam used to say that he sought forgiveness 70 times a day. So Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he
wrote, and he talked a lot about forgiveness. He and his daughter actually wrote a whole book about it.
And I want to share with you some of the things that he said.
He said that all of us must walk our own path at our own pace. All of us have a book inside our heart.
What’s in your book? Is it a story of hope and redemption? Is it a story of misery or resentment? He said that in the end, the forgiveness you seek, whether it’s for another or for yourself, will never be found in any outside book. You carry it with you in your heart. It’s part of your humanity. You just need to look inside, discover it, discover the power to change your life, and to change the world.
He says, listen to what the heart hears. Here is my book of forgiveness. The pages are well-worn. Here are the places I struggled. Here are the places I passed through with ease. Here is my book of forgiving.
Some of the pages are tear-stained and torn. Some are decorated with joy and laughter. Some of the pages are about hope. Some are etched with despair. This is my book of forgiveness. This book is full of stories and secrets. It tells how I finally broke free from being defined by injury and chose to unite again, offering forgiveness, accepting that I am forgiving, creating a world of peace.
Our prayer today is on forgiveness. In Sufism, we say, we ask Allah for forgiveness to return to him. Our prophet had a beautiful supplication of prayer. He said, ”Oh, Allah, forgive me my fault, my ignorance, my lack of understanding, and my concerns. And you are better aware of my affairs than myself. Grant me forgiveness of the faults which I committed seriously or otherwise, inadvertently or deliberately, all these feelings that are in me. Oh, Allah, grant me forgiveness from the faults which I did in haste or I deferred, which I committed in privacy or in public. You are better aware of them than myself. You are the first and the last and you have power over all things.”
I ask that through these prayer of forgiveness, that your heart is washed, purified, that you feel God’s mercy, and that it will help you develop the best of your character. Thank you for listening today. I look forward to our next prayer tomorrow.
Maxine Salima Adelstein M.Ed., D.D.
Salima helps people to discover and embody the deep truth of their beauty and essence through her work as a healer and teacher. She is a Murshid Murabbi Ruhi, (Sufi Spiritual Guide) in the Shadhilyya Sufi tradition, a rank given to her by her guide, Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal. Her heart is filled with the joy and compassion that result from living in the heart of God.
